No one is more impressed than his wife, author and former actress Twinkle Khanna, who tweeted: “When I asked him if he was sure as it was such a massive amount, he just said, ‘I had nothing when I started and now that I am in this position, how can I hold back from doing whatever I can for those who have nothing.’”

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Here he is goofing around with his daughter Nitara at his Mumbai home during lockdown.

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2. He drank elephant poop tea

During an episode of the reality TV series Running Wild with Bear Grylls, filmed in India’s Bandipur National Park and Tiger Reserve in Karnataka, Kumar gamely swigs elephant poop tea with host Grylls.

Check out the clip: each takes a sip before Grylls hilariously distracts the star, then surreptitiously dumps the contents of the mug.

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3. He took the time to say happy birthday to a fan

A diehard follower tweeted Kumar recently to say that she had been writing letters to “his home address” for 20 years (must have got lost in all the fan mail he receives) and revealed that it was her birthday. “Please wish me and make me smile,” she posted, adding a sad face emoji for good measure, and Kumar responded with his trademark charm.

4. He put Mumbai’s struggling street vendors back in business

When Mumbai’s street vendors were left destitute by the Covid-19 lockdown and monsoons, Kumar appealed to his followers, urging them to get out there and buy food and produce from their neighbourhood carts.

His initiative showed results within a matter of days.

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5. He acted as personal chauffeur to his wife

Perhaps no one is affected by a lockdown more than an Indian celebrity, pampered as they are by a phalanx of helpers. But when his wife had an accident after Mumbai was shut down, the actor stuck on a mask and hat and drove her to hospital and back in singularly low-key fashion. His wife posted a cute clip of their adventure, in which she refers to him as “her driver”.

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6. He took a taboo topic and made it mainstream

When prime minister Modi spectacularly broke with precedent on Independence Day, August 15, and talked about menstruation in his annual speech, the nation gasped – and Kumar was first to applaud him.

The actor has been campaigning for women’s basic rights for years, and in 2018 starred in Pad Man, a film based on the life of an Indian social activist who worked to educate India’s rural communities about menstrual hygiene.

And if all this is not enough, Kumar was one of the first A-listers in Bollywood to go back to work during the pandemic – here he is looking remarkably upbeat on the set of his upcoming film Bell Bottom. Also look out for him in the forthcoming horror-comedy Laxmmi Bomb, which will stream on Disney+Hotstar.

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